What Happens When Governments Impose Severe Austerity on the Populace?

 Violent Extremists Groups Prosper

What Happens When the Greek Government is Forced to Impose Austerity by Europeans?

Violent Extremists Groups Prosper (Are you not paying attention, apparently not)

How Many Times Does Europe Have to learn this lesson?  Hundreds of Thousands of people are out of work, with no prospects and the demands of Europe are that millions more suffer if Greece is to receive European bail out funds.  Can anyone remembers what happened in Europe in the 1940’s after the Depression of the 1930’s?  Exactly who rose to power in Germany, Italy and Spain?

So the news from Greece, which is suffering from what would be called a Great Depression if their economic conditions were widespread is not surprising.  The only surprise is that this was not anticipated by the denizens of Europe’s power countries.

Just a few months ago, the name Golden Dawn was something to be whispered in Greece.

But three months after the extremist right-wing group won an electoral foothold in Parliament, talk of Golden Dawn seems to be on everybody’s lips.

In cafes, taxis and bars, Greeks across the political spectrum are discussing the palpable surge in Golden Dawn’s popularity, which has risen in recent political polls even as the group steps up a campaign of vigilantism and attacks against immigrants.

And what does Golden Dawn do?  Well how about this.

ATHENS — The video, which went viral in Greece last month, shows about 40 burly men, led by Giorgos Germenis, a lawmaker with the right-wing Golden Dawn party, marching through a night market in the town of Rafina demanding that dark-skinned merchants show permits.

Some do, and they are left alone. But the action quickly picks up, as the men, wearing black T-shirts with the party’s name, destroy a stall with clubs and scatter the merchandise. “We saw a few illegal immigrants selling their wares,” Mr. Germenis says in the video. “We did what Golden Dawn has to do. And now we’re going to church to pay our respects to the Madonna.”

And is this popular in Greece?

If Greece were to hold new elections soon, Golden Dawn could emerge as the third-largest party in Parliament, behind Mr. Samaras’s New Democracy and the left-wing Syriza. Currently, Golden Dawn is the fifth largest, with 18 out of 300 seats.

And no, currently the Golden Dawn party is not a threat to the existing parties, just like those people were not a threat to the German establishment in the 1920’s.  But then came the 1930’s. 

As for the tactics of Golden Dawn, those of you who are history challenged can look up something called Kristallnacht.